Circulating heater



Feb. 20, M A N Q CIRCULATING HEATER Filed Nov. 8, 1948 /4 \00 INVENTOR.

A? 36 Mar/w ,4. En/ae BY v 1 f I ATTORNE Patented Feb. 20, 1951 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE CIRCULATING HEATER Martin A. Enloe, Kansas City, Mo.

Application November 8, 1948, Serial No. 58,852

1 Claim.

This invention relates to a space heater, the primary object being to provide an inexpensive, easily manufactured heater capable of maintaining a relatively large area, in a heated condition at a relatively low cost with respect to fuel oxpenditures.

The most important object of this invention is to provide a circulating heater having a plurality of relatively telescoping, annular walls adapted to contain heating means and formed to direct rays of heat emanating from the burner itself downwardly between two of the annular walls prior to discharge of the articles of combustion, all to the end that heat waste through the outlet flue is entirely eliminated.

Another important object of the present invention is to provide a circulating heater having the aforesaid annular walls, wherein the outermost wall or shell serves as a means for confining ambient circulating air along the surfaces of one of the heated walls of the burner, whereby such circulating air picks up heat as the same impinges upon such heated wall.

Other objects of the present invention relate to the way in which the burner of the circulating heater is disposed near the top thereof and separated through the medium of a partition from the bottom of the heater; the way in which an outlet flue for articles of combustion is disposed at the bottom of the heater for permitting discharge of the burned fuel, only after the same has passed through its tortuous path of travel therein; the manner in which a draft is provided for the burner itself; and many more minor details of construction, all of which will be made clear or become apparent as the following specification progresses, reference being had to the accompanying drawing, wherein:

Fig. 1 is a top plan view of a circulating heater made in accordance with my present invention, parts being broken away to reveal details of construction; and,

Fig. 2 is a Substantially central, vertical, cross sectional view taken through the heater shown in Fig. 1.

In the drawing, a hollow shell designated by the numeral 53 is cylindrical, as shown in Fig. 1 thereof, but the particular cross sectional shape of this shell Iii, as well as the other annular walls about to be described, is of no paricular consequence to the operation of the heater. The longitudinal axis of the shell I is disposed verticall and the top and bottom thereof are both open. The lowermost open end of shell ii! is disposed a distance above the supporting surface 52 for the burner and held in such position by a plurality of legs i i depending from the lowermost end of shell l0 and secured to shell 55 in any suitable manner, such as by nut and bolt assemblies [8.

A grille i8 covers the uppermost endi-oflthe shell Ill, said grille is having any suitableartistic configuration that may be desired. Grille l8 is provided with an annular, down-turned flange that circumscribes the uppermost end of shell ill for removably holding grille it in place.

A hollow, cylindrical body 22 is disposed within the shell ill, the outside diameter of body- 22 being substantially less than the inside diameter of shell Hi, whereby to present an annular space 24 that circumscribes body 22. Body 22, also, has its longitudinal axis disposed vertically and is held in position within the shell Iii by a plurality of webs 25. These webs 26 are arranged in any' uitable fashion within the annular space 24 and are secured to the outermost and innermost faces of body 22 and shell 10, respectively, by welding or through use of any other fastening devices.

The uppermost end of the body 22 is spaced below the grille l8 and is provided with a cover 28 that is provided with a downurned, annular flange 39 for removably mounting cover 28 upon the body 22. The lowermost end of the body 22 is closed by a conical bottom 32 having its apex i of the body 22 and through an opening 58 inthe terminating adjacent the lowermost end of the shell Ill.

A small door 34 is provided in the bottom 32 for body 22 that is hingedly mounted at 3 5 and releasably held in a closed position by means of a resilient clip 38. A cylinder 46 is disposed within the body 22, the outside diameter of the cylinder 49 being les than the inside diameter of body 22, to provide an annular space 42 that circumscribes cylinder it. Both ends of the vertically-disposed cylinder All are open, the uppermost end thereof being spaced below cover 28 and the lowermost end of cylinder db being spaced slightly above the base of conical bottom 32.

A plurality of webs it within the space 42 are secured to cylinder 42 and to the body 22 for holding the former in place. A transverse partition 45 within the cylinder 45 intermediate the ends thereof sets off a, combustion chamber 48 above partion 45, wherein is disposed a fuel burner 55. The particular type of burner 52 chosen for 11- lustration is designed to burn a fluid fuel such as gas or oil that is directed to burner 56 through the medium of a pipe 52.

Pipe 52 is disposed within a tube 54 of somewhat larger diameter, said tube 54 passing through a substantially centrally-disposed opening 56 within the partition 46 and through an opening 58 within the bottom 32. The lowermost end of the tube 5Q terminates adjacent the bottom of shell iii, and the ends of the tube 5 1 are open for placing the combustion chamber 43 in direct communication with 'the atmosphere.

The pipe 52 communicates at its lowermost end with a horizontal conduit Gil having a control valve 52 interposed therein, said conduit 60 communicating with a source of fuel (not shown);

A flue 64 for receiving articles of combustion passes through an opening 65 in the bottom 32 shell It. The innermost end of the flue 64 is disposed on a vertical axis through the apex of bottom 32 and the uppermost. end of flue 64 projects to a point of discharge (not shown).

In operation, the burner 50 is lighted after the suitable adjustment of the valve 62, and the flames emanating from the burner 50 project upwardly within the combustion chamber 48. The rays of heat and articles of combustion, after striking the lowermost face of the cover 28, will pass laterally and radially with respect: to cylinder 40 and body 22, as indicated by the arrowsv in Fig. 2 of th drawing, and thence pass downwardly along the space 42-.

Such articles of combustion will wash against the innermost face of the body 2 2 and against the innermost face of bottom 32 prior to final discharge through the flue 64. Ambient air circulating within the room to be heated will enter the bottom of the shell l and pass upwardly along the space 42 for discharge through the grille l3. A heat exchange relationship will exist as such circulating air impinges upon the outermost surfaces of the shell 22, and virtually all of the heat existing in the articles of combustion and heat rays passing downwardly within space 42 will be absorbed by such ambient, circulating air.

Consequently, all articles of combustion that escape through flue 64 will be relatively cool and virtually no heat loss will take place. Flu 64. should, of course, have its outlet arranged to create a draft or suction at the innermost end thereof, to the end that the articles of combustion and heat rays will be drawn from the combustion chamber 46 to the conical bottom 32 of body 22.

By so forming the bottom 32 in a cone, the heat rays will all converge to a common point adjacent the innermost end of flue 64; and, by the same token, circulating air exteriorly of body 22 will have a relatively large surface upon which to impinge for absorbing all heat from, the articles of combustion prior to final discharge through flue 64.

The tube 54 will provide sufficient, air to be mixed with the fuel emanating from, the burner 50 to further reduce the cost of operation of the heater. It is contemplated that the inherent air circulation within a room to be heated is sufficient to supply the space 24; but, if desired, a forced air circulating system might be used in conjunction herewith. By the same token, it is appreciated that, if necessary, a forced suction could be created within the flue 64 if the natural draft thereof proved to be insufiicient to force movement of heat rays within body 22 in the manner just described.

The entire device may be easily cleaned and kept in an operating condition by simply removing the grate l8 and th cover 28 and by opening the (100! 34 All soot and other collection of foreign particles may then be removed from within the heater.

It is apparent from the foregoing that the heater forming the subject matter of this invention operates upon the well-known principl that only that part of the heat within a stove that is near the outside thereof is beneficial to room heating. The conventional stoves having the heating elements thereof near the center and bottom of the stove lose most of the heat with the articles of combustion through the outlet flue that is normally disposed at the top of the stove.

The disposition of the flame near the uppermost end of the heater, as herein provided, permits a complete circulation of the heat rays through the stove for spreading the same into a thin layer where the coldest air entering the bottom of the stove will absorb such heat rays. Through the precise disposition of the flue 64, and particularly the innermost end thereof near the bottom and on a central, vertical plane, causes even circulation of the heat rays within the body 22'.

It. is, also, to be appreciated that all of the above-mentioned objects and advantages of the present invention are accomplished through a simple structure that is exceptionally easy and. inexpensive to manufacture.

While only one embodiment of the present invention has been illustrated and described, it is manifest that such changes and modifications as fairly come within the scope of the appended claims are contemplated hereby.

Having thus described my invention, what I claim as new and desire to secure by Letters Patent is:

A space heater of the character described comprising an open-bottom substantially cylindrical shell; legs on the. shell for holding the same above a supporting surface and with its axis disposed vertically; a grille covering the opposite and upper end of the cylindrical shell; a cylindrical, hollow body having a closed flat upper end wall, said body being concentrically disposed within the said shell and spaced from the wall of the said shell and having its said upper end wall spaced below the grille, whereby air passing upwardly through the shell impinges upon the outer surfaces of the body before escaping through the grille; a conical bottom wall closing the lower end of the said body with its apex substantially on the plane of the bottom edge of the shell and on, the axis of the said shell and body; an openend cylindrical wall, concentrically mounted within the said body and spaced from the wall of the said body and its upper end spaced from the closed end of said body and its lower end spaced from the bottom wall of the said body; a transverse partition in the cylindrical wall setting off a combustion chamber at the top thereof; a fuel burner in said combustion chamber on the axis thereof and spaced below the flat end wall of said cylindrical body; a draft tube extending downwardly from a point Within the combustion chamber to a point exteriorly of the body for supplying air in support of combustion; and a f flue in communication with the body at the lower portion thereof, the end of said flue being within the conical bottom of the body and substantially on the vertical axis common to the shell, said body and the cylindrical wall.

MARTIN A. ENLOE.

REFERENCES CITED The following references are of record in the file of this patent:

UNITED STATES PA InN IS Number Name Date 963,266 Bauer July 5, 1910 ,993,193 Sykes Mar. 5, 1935 2,154,706 Shaifer Apr. 18, 1939 FOREIGN PATENTS Numben. Country Date l3262 Great Britain Oct. 9, 1919 

